Electrical coupler



Sept. 21, 1965 l. s. BLONDER ELECTRICAL COUPLER Filed June 11, 1962 R n D N 0 VL m8 S C A A S ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,208,033 ELECTRICAL COUPLER Isaac S. Blonder, West Orange, NIL, assignor to Blonder Tongue Electronics, Newark, N.J., 'a corporation of New Jersey Filed June 11, 1962, Ser. No. 201,369 1 Claim. (Cl. 339-177) The present invention relates to electrical couplers and, more particularly, to connectors of the type that are useful with coaxial transmission lines and the like.

Numerous types of electrical couplers and connectors have been proposed throughout the years for use in the radio-frequency transmission-line field and for similar applications in electrical and related coupling systems. One such is described, for example, in my prior United States Letters Patent No. 3,001,169, issued September 19, 1961, for Transmission-Line Connector, in which a connector is disclosed that eliminates the necessity for soldering thereto the inner and outer conductors of a coaxial transmission line. The advantages in such solderless connectors, residing in simplicity, low cost, speed of assembly and disassembly, and other related features, have made the requirement for easily applicable devices of this character ever-increasing.

Where conventional types of coaxial female connectors are employed, moreover, the outer-conductor-receiving portion of the connector has been, and is currently, generally supplied with a plurality of external threads. An internally threaded cylindrical collar, carried by the male portion of the connector, is threaded upon these external threads to lock the parts together. This locking operation is time-consuming and requires the relatively expensive utilization of these internally threaded collars.

An object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved coaxial coupler or connector that eliminates the requirement for such internally threaded collars and that enables a reliable quick-connect and disconnect locking operation merely by the plugging in of the connector or the pulling of the same outward.

A further object is to provide a new and improved coupler of more general utility, as well.

Other and further objects will be explained hereinafter and will be more particularly pointed out in connection with the appended claims.

In summary, from one of its broad aspects, the invention relates to an electrical coupler comprising a longitudinally extending thin-walled hollow tubular member the walls of which are longitudinally slit at a plurality of spaced regions to provide a plurality of resilient tongues. The inner and outer surfaces of each tongue slightly converge toward the free end of the member and the outer surface thereof is deformed upward near the free end to provide a terminal collar. The terminal collar is intermediately recessed for receiving therein a resilient clamping ring. Preferred constructional details and configurations are hereinafter described.

The invention will now be explained in connection with the accompanying drawing, the single figure of which is a perspective view, partly cut away and sectionalized, illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention.

A coaxial transmission line is shown at 1, covered with external insulation that surrounds an outer conductor, usually of copper braid or the like 3, and an inner conductor, shown extending at 5. This coaxial line, as before described, is to be coupled to conventional coaxial jacks and the like, such as that illustrated at 2, comprising an outer externally threaded tubular section 3' separated by an insulating collar 4 from an inner-conductor tubular receptacle 5 for receiving the inner conductor 5.

In conventional use, a male coupler, not shown, is applied to the jack 2 by an internally threaded movable collar for threading upon the outer section 3. This requirement, however, is entirely obviated in accordance with the coupler of the present invention.

The coaxial line 1 is connected to the coupler 6 of the invention by inserting the same into a first or left-hand cylindrical conductive tube 8 with a portion of the outer conductor braid exposed at 3 through an aperture 10 into which a screw or other electrical securing device, not shown, may be inserted to establish electrical connection between the outer conductor 3 and the coupler 6. The member 8 is connected to a further conductive shell 12, provided with a roughened or knurled gripping region 14 for enabling the holding of the connector for pushing on, or pulling from, the jack 2. Beyond the roughened portion 14 is an extension that comprises a longitudinally extending thin-walled hollow conductive tubular member 16, the walls of which are longitudinally slit at a plurality of regions to provide a plurality of resilient conductive tongues as shown at 16', 16", 16", etc. Each of these tongues has its inner and outer surfaces slightly converging from the roughened region 14 toward the free or right-hand end of the member 16. The outer surface of each tongue 16, 16", 16", etc., is deformed upwardly as at 20', 20", 20, etc., respectively, to provide a terminal collar, generally indicated at 20, which is intermediately recessed at 22, and the outer or open edge 28 of which is curved or rounded inwardly toward the inner surfaces of the tongues. The tongues are held resiliently clamped by a resilient wire ring 22', such as a C-shaped spring. The inner surfaces of the tongues 16, 16", 16", etc. are, however, smoothly continuous from one end to the other, it being the outer surfaces upon which the collar 20 is formed and the clamping ring 22 is mounted. For a reason later explained, the thickness of each tongue is gradually tapered with successively decreasing thicknesses from the roughened region 14 towards the free end thereof. The inner diameter of the collar 20, moreover, is made about the same, as, preferably just slightly less than, the outer diameter of the threaded region 3' of the jack 2.

Within the hollow of the multi-tongue member 16, an insulating disc 24 is supported through which is mounted a hollow plug 26 receiving the inner conductor 5 of the coaxial line. Electrical connection between the inner conductor 5 and the plug 26 may be effected by a resilient insert, not shown, as explained in my said Letters Patent, or by any other electrical connection between the plug 26 and the conductor 5, including a tight fit.

To apply the connector 6 to the jack 2, the plug 26 is first inserted within the slightly larger resilient receiv ing member 5' of the receptacle 2. The rounded free edge 28 of the collar 20 is then forced over the threaded outer region 3 of the jack 2, with the resilient tongues 16, 16", 16", etc. expanding outward against the resilient clamping action of the spring 22'. Since the tongues are preferably thinner at their free ends as a result of the decreasing thickness before-mentioned, the resilient action is maximum near the free ends, and the tongues tend to resist outward deformation toward their inner ends at 14, thus resisting fracture and loss of resiliency.

The coupler connector 6 may thus readily be plugged on, establishing electrical contact with the inner and outer conductive surfaces 3' and 5' of the jack 2, and equally readily pulled off to elfect a disconnect.

Modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art and all such are considered to fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A separable coaxial-line electrical connector member for use in combination with a mating connector part having an externally-threaded outer conductive sleeve and an inner receptacle insulated therefrom, said member comprising an elongated, thin-walled, resilient, conductive tube, the walls of which are longitudinally slit at a plurality of spaced regions to provide a plurality of resilient tongues having opposite base and free ends, a gripping member secured to said base ends, said tongues having inner and outer surfaces converging from said base ends to said free ends to provide tapered thickness and to provide greater tongue flexibility at said free ends, the outer surface of said tongues adjacent to said free ends having outward projections defining a circumferential collar with an intermediate circumferential recess receiving a resilient clamping ring, said free ends extending inwardly to define a circumferential bead, said tube having an inner diameter between said bead and said gripping member slightly less than the outer diameter of the threaded sleeve, and an elongated plug supported centrally Within and insulated from said tube for connection to the inner conductor of a coaxial line, the outer conductor of which is connected to said tube, said plug being arranged to telescope with said inner receptacle of said mating connector part as said tube is telescoped over said outer sleeve, said bead engaging the threads of said outer sleeve and expanding said tongues outwardly against the resilient bias of said ring, the tongues expanding readily at their free ends and resisting deformation at their base ends by virtue of their changing thickness.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,258,737 10/41 Browne 339-177 2,548,457 4/51 Wilson 339177 2,764,746 9/56 Terlinde 339258 X 3,001,169 9/61 Blonder 339l77 FOREIGN PATENTS 806,419 9/36 France.

JOSEPH D. SEERS, Primary Examiner. 

